In every class thread, the same two concepts always win out; Demon Hunters and Tinkers. Both sides argue their points ceaselessly, and neither side wishes to give the other an edge in the verbal conflict that can sometimes rage on for several weeks (the recent Tinker thread is a prime example). During these debates, an enterprising poster will chime in and ask if both sides could settle their differences by simply combining the concepts. Neither side pays this poster any attention, and continue to rage on. After all, how could you possibly reconcile the dark, sinister Demon Hunter with the little goblin in the big robot suit?
Well for starters, maybe we're thinking about the wrong Demon Hunter?
A few months ago, I started a thread about a class called the Artificer. Artificers exist in WoW as users of magic and technology. Interestingly, the Demon Hunter in Diablo 3 is also a user of technology and magic, even sharing some interesting similarities with the heroes of WC3 and my beloved Tinker hero in HotS. Not only would this class be pretty unique, but it would also smooth over some issues that people have with both the DH concept and the Tinker concept.
So, let's go over the 5 reasons why I think this could very well be the next class in WoW, and why I think Demon Hunter and Tinker fans could finally join together to destroy all other class concepts with their combined power.
1.With our powers combined....
The Demon Hunter from Diablo 3 is an interesting class concept. It combines the Shadow magic of a WC Demon Hunter with the archery of a Hunter, and the technology of a Tinker. Over the course of my investigation, I've noticed some very interesting connections between all three concepts that have led me to come to my conclusions. Let me share them with you;
1. They have a Skill Rune called "Tinkerer", and a passive called "Custom Engineering".
2. They use Turrets and Grenades. Guess who also uses turrets and grenades? The Tinker hero from HotS. Gazlowe even uses the same grenade icon.
3. They have a subset of skills called "Devices".
If you look through the DHs abilities, you see quite a large variety of grenades and turrets. One turret for example provides shields. The other heals the party. In terms of grenades, there's everything from lightning grenades to gas grenades.
Demon Hunters (D3) have a wide variety of shadow-based abilities. Interestingly, if you look at the WC-styled DH in HotS, you'll notice the following similarities (besides the names);
1. Marked for Death is eerily similar to Mark of Azzinoth.
2. Both have Thrill of the Hunt as abilities.
3. Both have an affinity towards Shadow Magic.
Illidan in HotS has highly mobile abilities. Thrill of the Hunt for example would work extremely well for this type of class, and it should be included. Speaking of mobility, there's no reason the DH ability "Vault" couldn't be added too.
Beyond shadow magic, the D3 DH also fuse magic within their tech devices.
So how would we combine this together? The EXACT same way Blizzard combined the Demon Hunter in Diablo 3: A ranged fighter who utilizes agility, shadow tactics, and technology. We could call this class many things, but Artificer would work perfectly, since Artificers are traditionally bow/ranged fighters who combined technology, and magic. Of course fighting prowess could simply be a WoW convention.
Pic of an Artificer from DnD;
2.The Bow and Mail effect
Its well established that the final WoW class is more than likely to be a mail wearer, and will more than likely use bows. However, this class also needs to be functionally different from Hunters. Well, the Artificer takes care of that problem all at once;
1. They wear mail. Check.
2. They use ranged weapons. Check.
3. They use technology, have no pets, and use magic. Check.
So now you have a class that covers the armor and weapon gaps, as well as establish a tolerable level of separation from Hunters.
3. Design Space
As many know, I'm a big proponent of WC3 being the core of WoW class design. I believe that all WoW classes start from the ability set of the WC3 hero units. If you look over the remaining heroes that don't have abilities within WoW classes, two pop out; The Goblin Tinker and the Goblin Alchemist. In most Tinker-based threads, the main argument that emerges is that Engineering and Alchemy already exist as professions, so a Tinker or Alchemy class is impossible. On the flip side, Demon Hunters (WC) are also derided as not having available design space due to Warlocks and Rogues taking a good portion of their design space. Both sides use Blizzard's statements to support their arguments. Anti-Tinkers say that GC called the Tinker concept too whimsical, Anti-DHers say that GC said that all the DH design space was taken.
So let's take a step back and utilize the Diablo 3 DH concept into this mix. I've already established connections with both concepts in the D3 DH. Let's begin applying WC3 abilities to this concept and see if they work. Now unfortunately, the WC DH's abilities have already been absorbed by existing WoW classes, but the Tinker and Alchemist's abilities are wide open. We'll remove the Tinker and Alchemist abilities that are deemed too whimsical, and focus on abilities that best match up with the D3 DH's abilities;
Pocket Factory, Acid Bomb, Cluster Rocket, Chemical Rage, Healing Spray.
With those abilities, there's also a few more abilities that we could use that haven't been claimed by existing classes yet, and it comes from the Warden;
Shadow Strike, Spirit of Vengeance.
SoV works because the DH class has Vengeance, which is interestingly similar to the WC3 ability.
Finally, we have arrows/shots. Frost Arrow, Searing Arrow, and Shadow Strike are currently unclaimed, and have potential for inclusion.
4. Spec Flexibility
The Technology angle allows this class to be able to tank, dps, or heal. One aspect that could potentially be interesting is ranged Tanking. Since the Alchemist from WC3 and the DH from Diablo 3 both have healing abilities based around tech, it could form a basis for a potentially interesting healing spec. DPS is a no-brainer of course, however it would be interesting if Blizzard opted for a Heal/DPS/DPS, or a Tank/DPS/DPS. I could imagine many players wanting two DPS specs intead of just one. In any case, the Artificer could easily handle any spec.
5. Dual Wielding Guns!!!
Yes you heard me right; The ability to Dual Wield crossbows or guns. But how would that be possible? Simple, by using the technology angle, and the classic abilities of the Artificer into a feature that allows you to take a weapon and modify it for your specialization. I call it Tinker. Here's a description;
And alongside this feature is another feature I took from HotS which would work quite well with this mechanic;+Tinker: Allows the player to take weapons and reconstruct them into new more advanced forms of weaponry. The type of weapons capable of being tinkered with are dependent on spec. For example, the tank spec can create powerful hand cannons, while the DPS spec can create pistols or twin crossbows.
With this, you could take a rifle, use Tinker, and make a pistol and have some scrap left behind. Or if there's a tank spec that uses a big hand cannon, you could take a rifle and make a larger gun. What are the implications of this? DH fans have their dark, agility based fighter, except he's hitting targets with twin pistols instead of twin glaives. Tinker fans get their tech class, with turrets, grenades, acid bombs, and lots of guns. Hunters who don't want to fight through 100 levels to finally get a petless physical ranged spec are happy too.+Salvage: Salvage allows you to collect Scrap from your used up contraptions and devices. You will use Scraps in the Tinker process. The more powerful or complex the weapon, the more Scraps required. Scraps are also used for cooldowns and to increase the power of certain abilities.
So there you have it. The issue with Whimsicalness is resolved with the Tinker, and the ridiculous amount of Warlock/Rogue overlap is resolved with the Demon Hunter, creating a marriage of technology, archery, and magic into an interesting class that fills all the gap holes, what's best out of the two most popular class concepts on this forum.
Hopefully you enjoyed the read. I'm in a bit of a rush, but I hope everything made sense. Tell me what you think in this thread and in the poll. Do you think the Artificer is a possibility in WoW?
Thanks for reading!
EDIT: Basic Class concept:
The Artificer is a hero that fuses magic and technology in order to protect allies and defeat enemies.
+Tinker: Allows the player to take weapons and reconstruct them into new more advanced forms of weaponry. The type of weapons capable of being tinkered with are dependent on spec. For example, the tank spec can create powerful hand cannons, while the DPS spec can create pistols or twin crossbows.
+Salvage: Salvage allows you to collect Scrap from your used up contraptions and devices. You will use Scraps in the Tinker process. The more powerful or complex the weapon, the more Scraps required. Scraps are also used for cooldowns and to increase the power of certain abilities.
+Artifacts: Each spec is governed by an artifact. These artifacts determine the type of energy each spec receives, and how it powers their weaponry. The Artifacts are as follows: Lightning, Fire, and Shadow. Artificers can combine scraps to form an artifact to empower themselves.
Artifacts act as cooldowns for their respective specs. Each spec benefits differently from their artifact. Artificers can construct artifacts from Scraps. You may only have 3 Artifacts at a time, and when you use one, there is a 5 minute cooldown before you can use them again. The Technician has a shorter cooldown time than the other specs, due to the nature of the artifact's effect on its spec.
2H: Can construct large hand cannons for tanking/protection purposes.
Ranged tank. Uses their Tinker and salvage ability to craft large cannons to use in battle. These cannons have a much shorter range than standard guns, but are more powerful, and cause a great deal of threat. Carrying these heavy weapons makes the Cannoneer stronger and tougher than the average Artificer, making them a literal tank on the battlefield. While seemingly a brute, the Cannoneer is perfectly capable of using their wide array of devices to aid them in battle. Their artifact is Fire, due to the explosive and destructive nature of their abilities.
Technician: Healing/Utility/Minor DPS
2H or DW: Can tinker twin pistols or crossbows.
Ranged DPS and Healing spec. Uses a variety of grenades, turrets, and guns to support allies and occasionally deal damage. The Technician uses everything from robotic turrets, to gas grenades to healing sprays, however, their DPS is generally very low, and they are much better as a supporter or healer instead of as a DPS. Lacking the sheer power of Cannoneers, and the finesse of the Stalkers, the Technicians make up for their lack of physicality with their intellectual ingenuity. Their artifact is Lightning, which grants them the ability to convert their various weapon systems from destructive to restorative in a blink of an eye.
Stalker: Ranged/Melee DPS hybrid
2H or DW: Can tinker twin pistols, or crossbows. Could potentially use melee weapons.
A hybrid melee/Ranged spec, the Stalker is a master of elusive combat. Capable of moving in and out of the shadows and quickly dispatching their target. Their affinity towards the Shadow artifact grants them a myriad of abilities like shadow porting, more quick movements, and other dark abilities. Their shadow abilities culminate into the Vengeance ability, which transforms them into an avatar of death and destruction.